Butt to file protest against Lorgat, says lawyer

Lawyers representing Pakistan's suspended Test captain Salman Butt in the spot-fixing scandal have decided to file a protest letter against Haroon Lorgat to the three-man independent tribunal of the International Cricket Council, which will hear the case in Doha next month.

Aftab Gul, one of the lawyers in Butt's legal team, said on Sunday that a letter would be dispatched in the next few days to the tribunal, drawing its attention to the recent statement made by ICC chief executive on the case.

Lorgat had recently said that he would be disappointed if the ICC anti-corruption unit failed to prove charges against Butt and two other suspended Pakistani players - Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir.

"We've worked hard at collecting all the evidence that we would require to make the charges stand," Lorgat had said.

Michael Beloff QC, who chairs the ICC's Code of Conduct Commission, will head the tribunal that will hear the case, along with fellow code of conduct commissioners Justice Albie Sachs of South Africa and Kenya's Sharad Rao.

Lorgat also said that the ICC didn't want to show any leniency in the case.

Gul said that Lorgat's remarks could be seen as a pressure-building tactic ahead of the hearing.

"He basically is already trying to rule these players guilty, although the charges brought against them have yet to be proven by the ICC ACU," Gul said.

"We will ask the independent tribunal to take up the matter with Lorgat, who, as ICC CEO, has to remain neutral and avoid giving statements on the case which is yet to be decided," Gul said.

"Such statements have caused grievance to my client who is yet to be proven guilty," he added.

Butt has hired one of Pakistan's top-shot lawyer's, Aitzaz Ahsan, in his legal team and the lawyers have been preparing hard for the week-long hearing in Doha, which will decide the future of the three suspended players.

Even if they are found guilty in the hearing, the players can challenge the ruling in the Court for Arbitration for Sport.